Devaki
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In Hinduism, Devaki is the wife of Vasudeva and mother of Krishna and Balarama. She was the daughter of Devaka, the younger brother of King Ugrasena of Mathura. Devaki and Vasudeva were imprisoned by her cousin, Kamsa, due to a prophecy that one of their sons would kill him. Kamsa then killed six of their sons. The seventh, Balarama, escaped death by being transferred to the womb of another woman, while a female child (an incarnation of the goddess Yoga-Nidra or Maya) was placed in Devaki's womb. The eighth son, Krishna (who was actually an avatar of Vishnu), was born at midnight and taken by Vasudeva to be raised by Nanda and Yasoda in the neighboring village of Gokul. It was believed that Krishna was born not from a sexual connection between Devaki and Vasudeva, but was transferred to Devaki's womb. After he realised that Krishna had escaped alive, Kamsa released Devaki and Vasudeva, and they lived in Mathura. Vasudeva and his second wife Rohini had a daughter Subhadra, who married Arjuna and was the mother of Abhimanyu. Afterwards, they moved to Dwaraka with the rest of Mathura's population.
Reference
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna Dhallapiccola
- redirect Template:Hindu Deities and Texts